A dark horizon (SYOC closed)
by WeaverOfDarkDreams
Summary: The School made her to kill, and they took her brother. They want her back, dead or alive. Her names Kestrel, & she won't go down without a fight. Plus she's not alone. S.Y.O.C closed.
1. Rubatosis

**Hi! This is my second fanfic and I hope the characters are not O.P. Please follow, review, and enjoy!**

Prologue: Dark Dreams

 _She was running, her breath came in short bursts that steamed in the freezing air._

 _Her head turned for an instant and saw a tidal wave of darkness swallowing everything in its path, she tried to scream but no sound came but a hoarse whisper, the only sound in the enveloping silence._

 _Then like the scream of a thousand crows the voices came._

 _The cries of a lost child, the wails of families torn apart by war and laws, the final thought of a man knowing he will never see his loved ones again._

 _Kestrel collapsed in tears hearing the cries of her twin brother Nikolas as the scientists carried him away._

 _The darkness towered over her rushing closer each second threatening to consume her…_

Chapter one: Kestrel

9:00 am, Saturday March 19th, 10 miles outside of Portland, OR…..

Kestrel bolted awake, the screams still echoing in her head. "Raine, where are you?" She called out to the forest around her.

Out of the trees flew a small falcon to her, perching on the branch next to Kestrel, shaking the dew from the leaves above.

The girl winced as the freezing drops settled on her face, which was already quite cold.

She had an angular face, her nose showing the evidence of many battles, a crooked bit here and there.

She shook long blue-grey hair out of her eyes, her fox ears twitching as she stretched her wings.

Slight hints of a Latino heritage showed in her skin & high cheekbones. Some thought her gaze was un-settling, one eye ice blue and one a deep chocolate brown.

She stood up and preceded to make a small fire, once this feat was accomplished she reached into a large back-pack and retrieved a coffee pot and filled it with coffee.

…. …. … ….

A few minutes later she sat fully dressed, cup of coffee in hand.

She was hardly half way through breakfast when Raine screeched three times, their signal for intruders. Kestrel jumped to her feet, Raine's voice in her head,

" _Three erasers approaching from the west_!"

"I thought they couldn't find us here!"

" _Apparently not so true"_

Kestrel thought with a smile, _haven't had a good fight in a while._

"Do they have any back up so far?"

" _Not that I know of_ "

Right then three wolfish men stepped in from the trees. The first charged at Kestrel, whom dodged quickly and delivered a kick to his stomach, knocking him over.

Suddenly she felt a hard blow to her chest, pushing out her breath.

 _The big ones faster than he looks and smarter too._

Kestrel whirled around and punched biggie in the nose, a satisfying crack sounding through-out the small clearing.

The third eraser cried out when Raine scraped a deep gash in his cheek. Kestrel ran over and body-slammed him into a tree, knocking him out.

Biggie rammed into her, both of them falling to the ground. She kneed him in the tenders & pushed him away, as she got on her feet he turned and sped off into the trees.

As she spun around she noticed the other one had left. All that was left was the one Kestrel had knocked out, _interrogation time sucker_ Kestrel thought with a smirk.

…

It took her about five minutes to tie the eraser to a nearby tree, get the fire going again, and make another batch of toast and coffee. A few minutes later the eraser woke up, and it was interrogation time.

"who sent you, and how did you find me"

The eraser spat at her and gave her a dirty look.

"Ya wont get anything from me ya mangy bird mutt"

Kestrel ignored him and whistled for Raine, secretly pleased at the brief flash of fear on his face as he saw the falcon. The scratch she had given him was now a large scab.

"I repeat, who sent you, and how did you find me."

"ya know who sent us, and ya friend at the coffee shop was quite useful. Such a sorrow that he was in it when it burn't."

Kestrel closed her eyes and swiftly broke his left ankle, the eraser shrieked in pain.

"The School sent you? Do you know where Nikolas is?"

"He is where he belongs, as the School hitman. You should be at his side, a pile of bodies at your feet!"

Hatred burned in her eyes, an unhuman snarl escaping her throat. Swift as a cobra her hand flashed out, nails lengthening into sharp claws that tore through his throat like a razor through butter.

"Nooo!"

Kestrel cried as she realized what she had done. The eraser lay bloody at her feet, yet his eyes showed thanks.

He whispered in spurts of blood, "Thank you for freeing me from them."

Then he was still. " _It's not your fault Kestrel, it's the Schools"_ Raine said in Kestrels mind.

"But it's another thing dead because of me." Kestrel muttered under her breath.

 _Why did they make me into this monster? Why can't I control it?_

Slowly she stretched her black, blue, and pale gray wings and took off to the sky.

 **Here is the S.Y.O.C form, please only 3 S.Y.O.C's per person, per story ( twins count as one) also please make enemy characters. Thank you for reading, please review, and enjoy!**

 **Name:**

 **Age:**

 **Gender:**

 **Personality:**

 **Appearance:**

 **Cloths style:**

 **Hybrid percentage:**

 **Family:**

 **Friends:**

 **Pets:**

 **Wings (if any)/powers (if any):**

 **Strengths/weakness:**

 **Weapon choice/fighting style:**

 **Friend/enemy:**

 **Backstory:**


	2. Altschmerz

**sorry about the late post! Hope you enjoy!**

Nikolas stood in a white walled room, across from a shivering mutant. The mutant was #4, 98% human, 2% silk moth. He was failing and this was his death trial. He would most likely die. Nikolas grinned. It would be an easy fight, and his twelfth kill, then the bell rang and he lunged forward. The fight was over. before it began. Number Four had already given up and he welcomed death, there was no fear in his eyes.

Nikolas remembered his death by trial, but only when he was emotional. All he remembers then is the blood on his hands. The blood of the only person he had ever loved, Erica. He remembers her kind green eyes, her pale face, her fierce and loving spirit. The spirit he extinguished.

But then he will break out of it and remind himself of the problem of emotion. Loving means weak. Love means death. The only acceptable emotions are hate and fear. That is the law. That means survival in the School.

Eight minutes later Nikolas stared at his blood covered hands, then with rose scented soap he scrubbed his blood-stained claws. A tall man with wild red hair stepped in, speaking with a leathery voice.

"Fury, we have a new hunt for you. She goes by Kestrel and has been avoiding our traps. A week ago she killed one of our agents. Here's the case file."

Nikolas took the relatively small folder, and opened it up. Inside was a jumble of papers, some missing and torn. It looked like someone had gone through it in a hurry. After a few minutes of getting the pages in order he started to read it.

File experiment #18, Ophelia DarkSea.

Birth name: Ophelia DarkSea.

Self given name: Kestrel.

D.O.B ( date of birth ): 5/27/2002.

School I.D: OD#18200218

Description: Medium build, Latino mother, American father, blue-Gray hair because of American Kestrel hybrid percentage, hair was short and spiky at time of escape, May have been cut, different coloured eyes, one ice blue, one chocolate brown, Grey Fox ears and tail, retractable claws, black, blue, and pale Gray wings, tan complexion, most likely wearing thick coat and jeans, easily angered and stubborn, escaped at 8 years old, raised by American Kestrels.

Hybrid percentage: 96% Human, 2% Avian ( American Kestrel ), 2% Canine ( Red Fox ).

Friends/pets: An American Kestrel named Raine, not any human ally' s yet.

Last seen: About ten miles outside of Portland, Or. Might move towards Ashland, Or.

When he read her name & number it sounded familiar. A slight bit of a memory, a memory that the School had tried to hide. Nikolas closed his eyes and tried to remember.

He sat in his old dog crate, facing the crate to his right. Inside the other one was a girl with blue-grey hair and strange eyes. She turned to look at him and spoke.

"Nikolas, don't worry I'm gonna get us out of here. I'll never leave you behind. Brothers and sisters stick together." Then the memory faded.

Nikolas had always been told his sister was dead. He had always been loyal to the School, and now they lie to him? They try to make him kill his only family & they made him kill Erica. He walked to his room and gathered together his gear. He would leave tomorrow morning. The school would pay.


	3. SYOC trouble

I am sorry to say that this S.Y.O.C is now closed. Thank you for your wonderfully creative . sorry I can't do more review , but I got 19 by pm.

The winners of the S.Y. by review are: Kyla & Shadow by CosmicKitten16, and Dartt by NitroTheKid88.

The winners by P.M are: Pepper and Bane by mnmdancin12, Nami by Last Remedy, Shima by ForestFauna, and Rowan and Reyna Whitefire by The Doggy Duchess.

Tha-tha-that's all folks! Thank you.


	4. Authors N

Dear readers,

I will be updating less often probably, because me and my family are taking a trip to Ohio for most of January, and I will be in internet reception less often. I'm not leaving, it will just take longer for me to update and return messages. On a happier note, I just posted the first chapter of my origanal story The Strange on (its the sister site to fanfiction, but for origanal stories and poetry.). You can find me on fictionpress as WeaverOfDarkDreams. Thank you for reading. Till we meet again!

-Weaver


	5. Euneirophrenia

Ashland, OR. 12 p.m. Kestrel. Tuesday

Kestrel walked around the small town, trying to find a cheap grocery store. On the dead Eraser there had been a wallet with about twenty-five bucks, probably enough for some food and some cloths from the second hand store. Suddenly a bike appeared out of nowhere, slamming into her. Kestrel landed, her head aching from the impact. Her hand went to her forehead, coming away sticky with blood.

Kestrel opened her eyes, blinking them at the bright light of the sun. A melodic voice rang in her ears as the world rushed back. She was laying in the middle of the sidewalk, a small halo of blood around her head. A teenage girl rushed over to Kestrel, her long strawberry blond hair flopping into her eyes.

"Oh my God, I'm so sorry! Are you okay?!"

"Unh."

"I'm gonna take you to my house, okay? My dad's a nurse and can help you."

"Unh!"

"Its gonna be alright."

Kestrel nodded, her head light from blood loss. Slowly the world faded away, and the darkness crept in.

... Two hours later ...

Kestrel opened her eyes, only to be met by an alien environment. The room was small and silent, save for her hurried breath. The ceiling was painted like a night sky, and the walls a soft blue. The bed was soft but firm, and the sheets warm. Kestrel jumped when the door opened, the girl from the sidewalk entering.

"Your awake! Are you feeling okay? I have so many questions, if it's okay that I ask."

"Uh, sure? Who are you? Where am I? What happened?"

"Um, I'm Cassiopeia Warren (just call me Cass), you are at my house, and I hit you with my bike. You hit your head on the curb, and I brought you home. My dad's a nurse. Who are you?"

"Kestrel. I mean, that's the name that I gave myself. Did you change my clothes?"

"Yeah, you have a fractured wrist, and you have an infected cut on your leg."

"Did you see them?"

"You mean the wings? And the ears and tail? Yeah. It's fine we won't tell anyone. My mother was like you. She had gills, and beautiful wings, like a barn owl. Somehow I ended up normal, well, almost normal. But my brother Jason was different. His heart was warped by the dna, and he died. Mother died in a drive by shooting last year."

"I'm sorry. What was her name?"

"Madeline, but before she called herself Owl."

Kestrel smiled, and sat up.

"Do you have any food? I'm starving, and I'd like to come downstairs and meet your dad."

"Sure. You won't be able to see dad, because he's at work, but I could fix up some lunch."

"That sounds great Cass. How old are you? I'm fifteen."

"Fourteen, but my birthdays next month."

Kestrel nodded, and started getting up, following Cass down the stairs. Cass led Kestrel to the dining room, and then went into the kitchen. Kestrel looked around the room, her eyes resting on a picture on the wall. It was of a woman holding a little girls hand, standing in front of a small waterfall. The woman had long strawberry blond hair in a braid over her shoulder, her hair the same color as the little girl's hair. The girl was looking up at the woman, who was smiling at the girl.

"That's mom and me when I was seven. We were at a small park where we went a lot when I was young. We'd feed the ducks and I'd run around the playground, mom chasing me along."

Kestrel jumped at the sound of Cass' voice, having not noticed her walk up. Cass held two bowls, full of steaming tomato soup. She set the bowls down at the table, and walked into the kitchen, coming back with a plate of sandwiches. Kestrel dug in, devouring the food. Cass told her to slow down, and she did.

When they finished eating Kestrel and Cass sat in the living room, an small but comfortable room with pale yellow walls and a small tv. They talked for a bit, watching re-must of MacGyver on the tv. After a hour or so Kestrel heard the door open. She jumped off of the couch, immediately getting into a fighting stance. After a second Cass giggled, pointing out it was just her dad. Kestrel shifted into a more normal position, and blushed.

"Sorry, it's just... uh.. instincts?"

"It's fine, don't worry. I remember mom used to be a bit skittish. Dad! We're in the living room!"

A muffled okay shot out, and a few minutes later a man walked in. He was around 5'10", and had scruffy brown hair to his chin. He was still in hospital scrubs, which made Kestrel wince a bit. He had a more rounded face like Cass, and they shared hazel eyes. Immediately after walking through the door, he simultaneously stumbled over a bump in the carpet, knocked over a glass of water, and broke a small plate.

He stood back up, and collected the broken shards of the plate. He dumped them in a small waste basket and turned to Kestrel.

"Hello, I'm Jack. Sorry about the mess. How are you feeling?"

"Uh, I'm Kestrel, and I feel pretty good?"

"Awesome, are you hungry? How was your day Cass?"

Cass answered

"Oh, we just ate. I called in sick to school, and watched Kestrel. How was it at the hospital?"

"It was a mess, there were three car crashes, a drunk walked off a cliff, and some college hazing went wrong, and all in all, it was busy."

"Everybody okay?"

"The crashes were minor, and they were okay, a couple broken arms and such. The drunk broke both legs, but should be walking in a bit. The college thing caused a couple injuries, but only one girl was seriously injured. She's in a coma, and has some head traumas."

"Well, I hope they get better soon. Hey Kestrel, wanna go on a walk?"

"I think I'm good, I'm probably to go lay down for a bit."

"Okay! I'll check in on you in a few hours."

Kestrel was about to respond when they heard a knock on the door. Cass opened it and gasped. A boy and girl stood on the welcome mat, the girl covered in blood. They were tall, and looked to be around seventeen, and were most likely twins. The boy spoke to Cass, his voice strained and hurried.

"Your dads a nurse, right? I need your help, now. Please, she's hurt bad, and we need to hide."

"Get in. Dad! We need help! Kestrel, grab dad."

Kestrel ran off, and Cass turned to the others.

"Take her to the kitchen table, right through that door."

He nodded, and carried the limp girl in. He set her down, and Cass led him out of the room.

"My dads a head charge R.N, he'll take care of her. What are your guys names?"

"I'm Rowan, and she's Reyna. We, um, are a bit different."

"I know this might sound crazy, but wings?"

"Uh, yes. How did you know?"

"My mom was like you, like Kestrel."

She was about to say something else, when a knock was heard. She motioned for Rowan to stay, and went to the door. She opened it to see two men. She told them to go sell cable tv elsewhere, and shut the door. A second later another knock came. They spoke before she could, silky voices floating through the air. Kestrel heard them and her heart stopped, knowing right away that they were Erasers.

"Excuse me ma'am, we are local cops looking for some dangerous runaways. Have you seen two teenagers, taller, a male with white-blond hair, and a female with white-blond hair with red and blue streaks? Slightly tanned, the girl might be covered in blood."

"No sir, and I need you to leave before I call the real cops. Shove off, and go away."

Then she slammed the door on them. They left, and everybody breathed a sigh of relief. Jack kicked everyone out of the room except for Cass (she was helping him), and Rowan and Kestrel settled down on the couch. They sat awkwardly for a few seconds, until Rowan started talking.

"I'm Rowan, and my sister is Reyna. You also have wings?"

"Yep. And a tail. So, let me guess. You're from the School."

"Uh, yeah. We just escaped maybe a hour ago. What city is this?"

"Ashland Oregon. Wait, so if you just escaped two hours ago, that means there is a school near here. Did you fly or run?"

"Ran for a bit, because Reyna hurt her wing, then about thirty minutes ago we stole a truck."

"So it must be anywhere between ten and fifty miles away. Where there other hybrids there?"

"Quite a few?"

"Perfect. Once your sister is better, we'll scout around for more escaped mutants, then once we find more, we'll stage a breakout."

Hope you guys enjoyed it. Sorry for being the slowest poster ever. 3 Love you guys, and thanks for sticking with me!

Thank you Doggy Duchess for Rowan and Reyna!


	6. Ambedo

School #12, Oregon, 2:30 P.M, Nikolas/Fury.

He was packing when she entered. She was tall, with long black hair and dark eyes that rivaled the void of space. Nikolas had worked with her before, and he knew Shadow was not someone you wanted to mess with. She was the pride of the school, a perfect killing machine. Yes, the school had many amazing assassins and hitmen, but she was one of the few that truly loved her work.

He remembered a time when she was sent out to retrieve some escapees, and she was accompanied by a team of five of the school's best Erasers. She was back the next day, with the bodies of the three escapees and the bodies of the Erasers. Shadow was also a bit crazy.

She walked up to Nikolas, and sat across from him on a chair.

"You're leaving."

"How did you know?"

"I just know. You aren't going to go, they won't let you. And, if you do go I'm going to have to kill you."

"Even after all we've been through? Come with me, we can be free, and happy."

"I am happy. What we had… It was a phase. The School takes care of our problems, and we take care of theirs. How about this. You stay, and I take the mission. That way you never have to see the sister who abandoned you, and things can go back to normal. Or, you can go, and be hunted for the rest of your life."

"A life in a cage is no life at all."

Shadow shrugged and walked away. Nikolas knew she wouldn't tell the scientists he was leaving, because if he didn't stay, she'd enjoy the hunt. He finished stuffing the bag, and slipped out the door, making his way to the exit. He made it there without running into anybody, and blinked as he stepped out.

He walked into the forest, and after a bit let out his iridescent green wings. His dna was spliced with that of an Rufous Hummingbird and a Mountain Lion, giving him the flight patterns and speed of the hummingbird and the strength and feline grace of the mountain lion. A low buzz resounded through the trees as he took off, his wings a blur. He flew over the tops of the trees, enjoying the breeze in his hair. The joy was short lived though, as he failed to notice the wing beats of Shadow behind him. He felt a twinge of pain in his shoulder, and before he fell, he finally noticed the tranquilizer gun in her hands.

The world blurred, and his wings faltered, and then he was falling.

6:00 am

Nikolas woke up, and rubbed his aching head, running his fingers through his messy black hair and over his tawny ears. After he showered he went down to the mess hall, and sat across from Shadow. He wolfed down four bowls of porridge, needing to satiate his hummingbird metabolism. As he walked to his room he rubbed his head again, a headache pounding against the inside of his skull. After a few seconds Shadow caught up to him, and silently accompanied him to his room. She made herself at home on a chair by his small desk, and started talking.

"What do you remember of yesterday?"

"Not much actually, just terminating Experiment Number Four and eating a bland salad. I've had a terrible headache since I woke up."

"Makes sense, yesterday you hit your head pretty hard when we were training."

"I don't remember training."

"Yeah, because you hit your head, and maybe got a minor concussion or something. Hey, we have another mission."

"What is it?

"Some escaped experiments, the usual. I'll get the car ready. Be in the garage in ten minutes"

"See you there. Oh, and Shadow, which ones are these that we're hunting?"

"The annoying twins, numbers twenty-eight and twenty-nine."

"Extermination or retrieval?"

"Dr. Jance wants D.N.A samples but besides that they're our choice."

"Sounds fun."

7:30

They had been on the road for half an hour when Nikolas turned on the radio. Shadow turned it off after ten minutes, shooting NIkolas a death glare. He smirked and poked her shoulder, ignoring her snarl.

"Wow, that was a new record. Ten whole minutes, I think it's growing on you. I think i saw a little head bob when that Taylor Swift song was playing."

She growled at him.

"Shut up or i'll drive us off the side of the road. Pretty sure you were the one bobbing your head."

He winced when she punched him in the shoulder, hard enough to bruise.

"Shady, don't you know violence is bad?"

She just looked at him, not getting it. She had never really been one for humor, unless it was the strange jokes she made that no one else got. Nikolas gave up after a second, and turned back to the the road ahead.

A half hour later they had reached the small town, and split up to try to track any mutant scent. Eventually Nikolas stumbled upon a trace of the signature scent of the hybrids, and followed the trail. It lead him to a abandoned house at the edge of town, where he found a cat-eared girl half asleep. He stepped on a creaky board, waking her up.

She screamed and grabbed ahold of the backpack next to her and the kitten that had been sleeping on her chest. In a second they had disappeared, the girl obviously a teleporter. Nikolas informed the school there was another mutant, but they told him to ignore her and focus on the twins. After another hour he met back up with Shadow, who had found nothing. They each got a hotel room, and promptly ignored each other.

3:10 am

It was three in the morning, and Nikolas knew he would not be getting any sleep. He turned on the tv quietly, settling on the first cartoon channel he found. He pulled out a pen and doodled on the hotel notepad that had been placed on his bedside table. As he drew he thought about what Shadow had said earlier.

It had been only a year ago, when she was transferred to his school. Shadow hadn't always been cruel, it used to be a front that she would put up, whilst in reality she was kind. They fell in love easily, like the foolish children they were. He had it all planned out, they were going to escape from that place. Then when they were supposed to meet up she didn't come, only a team of erasers.

Nikolas never found out if she had turned him in or if the School had just found out somehow. He knew now his attempts were futile, the School had twisted her and made her cruel. Nikolas sighed and set the notepad down, and turned the light off. It was useless to dwell on the past.

Ahhhh i'm so sorry for not having updated in like two million years! I had a really rough patch earlier this year and I just lost the will to do anything really. Also i've moved like three times this year and that's been stressful. I'm thinking of rewriting some of my other stories…

Please comment follow and favorite!

-That nerd who is really sorry for never updating


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